An academic who cannot properly read statistics but assumes the data is credible has now become the norm, too...
Predatory journals operate with the same logic; people within the same circles suddenly find themselves with an additional source of advantages/income.

Moreover, within NGO management teams, there is always someone who has an organic connection with one of these academics. Those two set up the whole scheme.

these datasets are useful for "scientific knowledge production"—the power of references :)
In other words, the more funding comes from a single institution, the more fabricated the data becomes.

This system operates entirely through funding. For NGOs to maintain financial sustainability, their research must align with the policies of funding institutions. To secure future projects, they must also claim in their project proposals that